Recommended Reading:

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

What if – the policemen deployed at Marikana were prohibited from using live ammunition and were thus forced to rely solely on non-lethal equipment and non-lethal tactics to control the protesters?

What if – the situation was reversed, and 34 (or more) policemen were savagely butchered and 78 (or more) were injured by a 3000-odd horde of striking mine workers?

What would we now be reading in the news headlines if this shocking scenario had occurred?

Let me guess – the initial reports in the local media would probably have resembled the following:

Police Lose Battle against Striking Miners

34 Cops Dead – 78 Injured

DA calls for Riah Phiyega’s suspension

Would there have been any mention of a “massacre” or a “bloodbath”? Would there have been any genuine sympathy for the families of the deceased and wounded cops? Would there have been talk of an “uneasy calm at Marikana Mine” on the following day? Would there have been any declaration of a national week of mourning?

Graphic footage and photographs of the slaughter would have been scarce or possibly non-existent, as journalists and press photographers would surely have also been slaughtered - particularly if there were no police to protect them. If any footage did survive it would most likely have been classified as too graphic for public display, and the international media would consequently not have made a big issue of the incident, for sensational stories are nowadays not newsworthy without accompanying graphic portrayals.

However, there is no doubt in my mind that the policemen on the scene, and not the murdering savages, would still have carried the brunt of the blame for the tragedy, and that the mainstream media would have had much to say about the lack of police expertise, police mismanagement, and other irrelevant issues. The central issue, namely evidence of the instinctive sadistic nature of the noble savage, would have been ignored and suppressed at all cost!

All sorts of 'astounding' yarns would surely have been fabricated… Inflated gossip about police brutality, police intimidation and harassment at the homes of the protesting miners would have been used to endorse and defend the barbaric savagery of the attackers. Sensational invented stories would have, no doubt, placed considerable emphasis on the age-old evils of apartheid and the ‘karma’ (of Sharpeville) that came back with a nasty punch.

The more one imagines a What if scenario the gloomier the situation becomes… Protesters countrywide would have viewed the incident as a major revolutionary victory; chaotic violence would have subsequently broken out in every major city in the country, and especially in areas where there’s been never-ending service delivery protests. A possible rebellion within the ranks of the police is another matter that cannot be excluded, with armed vigilante groups possibly taking the law into their own hands.

A state of Uhuru?

In the end, no matter how one looks at a reverse scenario, hysterical hooliganism, looting, arson, and vicious Rwanda-style savagery would have been the order of the day, with the death toll gradually rising by the hour. In other words - the state of Uhuru, which so many others caution and speak of, would thus have finally hit South Africa, like an unexpected violent thunderstorm.

In the end - after the dust had settled and the blood had stopped flowing, the passionate bravery of the noble savage would have eventually dominated radio bulletins in a droning and repetitive wave after wave, until the entire world finally accepts the nonsense as truth - more or less in the same fashion they made heroes and gods from ANC terrorists.

It gives me no pleasure to sketch an alternative picture of what could possibly have happened if the police did not resort to using live ammunition, but hopefully the picture I’ve sketched will compel the demonic liberal media in this country to shut the hell up and to stop blaming the police for what happened at the Lonmin mine, and to accept the fact that the striking miners were not only a bunch of liars (they lied about their salaries) but also dangerous armed criminals. Is it not ironic that these panga-yielding rock drillers earned more money than the average cop? Rebellion of the poor - my arse!

The police did not shoot to kill anybody; they fired shots to protect themselves. It’s called self-defence!

I found this blog very very small-minded, void of any humanity and quite frankly just useless.

Your reference to savages, the black african mind and speaks of deep hatred. Using stereo types to explain away and deflect real issues does not display intelligence.

But in any case, have a look here for Australian salaries for mine drilling engineers, which is what these guys do:http://content.mycareer.com.au/salary-centre/mining-oil-gas/drilling-blast

The Lonmin people are still receiving salaries concocted in the Apartheid era when it was thought to use stupid black people, cheap labour, to do these jobs.

Now, hopefully everybody will realize that to do these specialized jobs...you don't need to be white. If you go anywhere else in the world, these kind of jobs are done by mostly by white males because of the benefits attached for such dangerous jobs.

These minors have been abused for generations by the companies, and now also the Unions who want their own piece of the pie.

In terms of the deaths..the police, together with the company should have had a better strategy and not allow things to escalate to this degree - this dispute has been carrying on for years already.

The sheer arrogance of the mine bosses to demand the users to go back without further negotiation or even try to help the workers deal with the tragedy is just another indication of how wrong things are there.

I'm not celebrating any loss of life, but this had to happen some time because the whole signing of a piece of paper in 1994 did not solve the issue of this kind of abuse and inequality.

Things will be in balance once we start seeing a fair representation of whites being maids, petrol attendants, street workers, floor sweepers, garden boys and tea-girls. That would be equality.

But then, striving for equality or non-dehumanisation of none-whites or savage animals are not the purpose of your musings. And that on a blog where you advocate christianity..

To Black Savage Animal, you know I have been reading Tia Mysoa for a very long time now. As always he is spot on. Sadly it seems to me that you are what you said, a Black savage. Why don't you go for some training? It surely seems to me that you suffer from some or other kind of disorder. After training or treatment I think that maybe you can then be able to contribute something meaningful. And Tia from my side, what about an update for the Griekwastad case? And more, there is a lot of us enjoying your good posts.

@ Black Savage Animal“I found this blog very very small-minded, void of any humanity and quite frankly just useless.” Oh my gosh, how awful! Is it just this ONE posting or is it the ENTIRE blog with its total of approx 630 posts?

Allow me to address your concerns point by point, while I have some time to waste – No, on second thoughts – fuck it!!!

Point No.1I concede - the reference “Black African mind” was used in the previous posting, however the words “black” or “African” does not appear once in this specific post. But what exactly is your point; do you want me to plead guilty for using ‘politically incorrect’ terminology, on a blog that clearly warns – “I Publish What I Like” ??? And by the way – the picture in this posting was not photo-shopped!

Point No.2The link you provided concerning Australian salaries makes no mention of platinum-mine rock drill operators, so sorry to say – the link is useless! The total cost package of a Lonmin rock drill operator is approximately R10500 a month, excluding bonuses. This calculates to a gross salary of R126000 per year, excluding bonuses. That is more than double the salary of a Constable in the South African Police, whose job, by the way, is just as dangerous! Bear in mind that these African rock-drillers are not qualified engineers, none have any management skills, and very few have any track records whatsoever. The majority are in fact fleeing refugees from Zimbabwe…. See this link.

Point No.3Don’t preach to me about salaries concocted in the Apartheid era, cheap labour, and so forth... Not if your only point of reference is based on the propaganda you’ve read in the media over the years. You wont believe how many black folk in this country want apartheid back! Go check out this very short (heavily censored) YouTube video, if you don’t believe me. See also: South Africa's Coloureds Better Off Under Apartheid.

The rest of your comments don’t deserve any response whatsoever. You speak in riddles and your comments clearly reveal you don’t have a cooking-clue what’s going on in South Africa.

As for your reference to this blog advocating Christianity…. here are a few words of wisdom you can contemplate:

"The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion." - (Psalms 11:5)

I’m a qualified IT guy and I don’t even get near as much as what these mine strikers are asking for! Allow them to mourn for a week, but then they should stop complaining and get back to work, like the rest of us. We are all battling in this country to keep our heads above water, not just the poor blacks!

Have you seen that your friend (at least I presume he is your friend) Mike Smith posted today that police actually drove mine-workers into the firing line by firing tear gas and rubber bullets from the rear? If true, that certainly changes the picture from what the mass media is trying to portray. IMHO sources like News24 try to put out versions that do not make ANC look too bad. Now how much can we trust that the "commission of inquiry" that Zuma is putting together will be truly impartial? I am not holding my breath..

@FanonPoqoChimurenga – Yes I noticed Mike Smith’s article. Although it’s only a preliminary analysis his rough sketch does not portray certain details accurately… for example, the barbed wire fencing was deployed between the protesters and the police but the rough sketch does not create this impression. There was plenty of wide open space for the protestors to safely disperse, but yet some of them flanked the police vehicles while they were deploying the wire. Others, all armed with a variety of killing-devices, stormed the police... If they were fleeing from teargas why did they then not approach the police in a non-threatening manner?

We must also bear in mind that the whole affair started on 9 August 2012, and that the actual confrontation took place 8 days later, on 16 August.

And yes, you’re right... Zuma’s commission of inquiry will NEVER be impartial!

The thing for me is you may be right, or Mike might be correct. It is very hard to judge from the US and from what I understand even for those in SA who were not on the scene when it happened. Imbizo people have been talking to workers on the scene, and various versions are coming out. University of Johannesburg professor Peter Alexander has yet another version of what happened, but at least he drove to Marikana soon after the shooting occurred. Mandy de Waal argues in her column "Marikana: what really happened?" at www.dailymaverick.co.za that we may never know for sure what actually happened. The real issue, it seems to me, is the society going to address the issues of wages and conditions in the mines? I do not think that full-scale nationalization, that Malema advocates, is the answer. But SA does have a long history of having relied on cheap, super-exploited black labour in the mines.

"More white people being maids, street sweepers, etc..."??? Come on!!! The thing about a constitutional democracy is... each child has a right to education..we have not reached the goal of actually fulfilling this right though, a situation which must be rectified.. but once it is, each child will have a choice as to whether they will study hard or be lazy, and an added bonus, I might add for young african ladies who study hard, is that they will be at a distinct advantage when it comes to their chances of getting a bursary to study and better themselves, no matter how poor their families are.. White people will carry on as usual, middle class families working exceptionally hard (since most 50 something year old whites have little more than a matric qualification to their names...back in the day that was all they needed to secure decent enough employment...) to enable their one or two children to perhaps further their education. Again...it will still be a matter of choice for those children..one can take the horse to the water, but you cannot force it to drink, as the saying goes...So to me it's pure stupidity to make statements like: 'We want to see more white girls being domestic workers...' I wish people would get over themselves and focus on improving their own futures instead of moaning, whining, stereotyping and resenting others all their lives...

Latest 5 Featured Posts:

Operation Vula, its Secret Safari, and Zuma’s band of comrades - Dec. 2013
During 1986 the ANC launched an underground operation called Operation Vula. A lesser-known fact is that it continued to operate after Nelson Mandela's release in February 1990, and for three years after his speech in August 1990 when he reiterated the total commitment of the ANC, Umkhonto we Sizwe and the SACP to the Groote Schuur Minute.

Heritage Day Photographs (Voortrekker Monument) - Sept. 2013
This posting includes a few photographs taken on Heritage Day 2013. The posting introduces an unusual but beautiful new structure called QUO VADIS? (with the question mark) which I’m sure many readers have never heard of.

The Yellow-Bucket Marula Tree: A Mystery Solved! - Oct. 2013
I came across a rather strange phenomenon one day while travelling along the R561 route between Tolwe and Baltimore in the Limpopo province of South Africa. A small yellow bucket was attached high-up in a branch of a Marula tree, hence the name of this posting. It’s a real funny story which I’m sure most readers will enjoy - as much as I enjoyed compiling the article - (with illustrations).

Pretoria’s Monument for Victims of Terrorism - July 2013
Many people (including myself) had almost forgotten about a noteworthy monument in Pretoria that stood at the entrance of the old Munitoria building on the corner of Van der Walt and Vermeulen Streets (now renamed Lilian Ngoyi and Madiba Streets). When the Munitoria building was demolished on 7 July 2013 nobody could tell me whether the monument was still standing or not, so I decided to go look for myself.

Remembering The Battle of Delville Wood - July 2013
14 July marks a day when the South African 1st Infantry Brigade got engaged in the 1916 (WW1) Battle of the Somme, in France. The battle was one of the largest of World War I, in which more than a million men were wounded or killed, making it one of humanity's bloodiest battles. One specific encounter during this battle, known as The Battle of Delville Wood, is of particular importance to South Africa. The posting includes a comprehensive article (with pictures) compiled and written by Petros Kondos.